Yasin Patel from Church Court Chambers explored issues in sports due diligence,  with candid analysis of what serious investors, governments and governing bodies actually examine before committing to a club, a bid or a major event. The session drew on some high-profile and topical examples:

• The presentation opened with a fundamental question: what does due diligence actually mean in a sports and events context, and how does it differ from a standard commercial transaction? The answer involved four distinct dimensions, each illustrated with real-world examples.
• Reputation and emotional scrutiny featured prominently, with a frank discussion of how a single off-field incident involving one individual can translate into a measurable financial and reputational crisis for an entire organisation, and what that means for anyone considering investment or partnership.
• Regulatory complexity was examined in depth, from ownership tests and multi-club restrictions to third-party player rights, with specific cases used to illustrate how regulatory change can fundamentally alter the economics of a deal overnight.
• The presentation explored intellectual property and media rights as the fastest-growing component of any due diligence exercise, with a striking forecast about where broadcasting revenues from the current FIFA World Cup are heading, and what that signals for future event bids.
• Financial due diligence went well beyond balance sheets, covering the hidden risks in player contracts, future forecasts, and the cascading local economic consequences when a club’s fortunes change, including a pointed analysis of what relegation really costs, beyond the headline numbers.
• Integrity and match-fixing received serious treatment, with examples drawn from several sports and jurisdictions illustrating the long-tail reputational and financial damage that can follow governance failures — sometimes lasting decades.
• A significant section was devoted to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) considerations, with an argument that these are no longer peripheral. One particularly memorable example was from a leading cricket venue that turned a simple cup-return incentive into an award-winning sustainability programme.
• The presentation tackled the growing question of stadium versus club: whether the venue is becoming a more financially important asset than the sport it hosts; and what that means for fan engagement, community relationships and long-term organisational health.
• The Q&A produced a revealing exchange on how due diligence functions not just as a risk-assessment tool, but as a negotiating and mediation instrument, with specific detail on how findings have been used to restructure deals and bring down acquisition prices.
• The session closed with a discussion on accountability — who bears responsibility when due diligence is inadequate, and why, in major transactions involving multiple parties, the buck rarely stops cleanly anywhere.

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